I had one terrible day today stomach-wise but did not quite put two and two together. I am / was suffering from withdrawal symptoms and that from such an innocuous medicine as omeprazole, which inhibits the stomach for producing too much acid (Proton Pump Inhibitors). After too long a time taking them on a regular basis I decided to stop, so yesterday and today I had no morning pill. However I did suffer, throwing up almost all my food and liquids to boot. I see the stomach as somewhat like the engine of a car – it is very central to so many things. When that goes wrong ‘you’ go wrong.

I was very comforted by reading on the Internet

The potential harm of useful drugs is that they have a tendency to be over-used. Anytime we use a chemical to manipulate the normal function of the body, there are going to be consequences. Chronic acid suppression is a good example. The body makes acid for a reason, and we are seeing a growing list of complications if we inhibit acid production long term (see table below).

Tapering off these medicines can be challenging as people can have symptoms for up to 10 to 14 days after discontinuation due to rebound hyperacidity. So, be sure to let your patients know that they may feel worse for a couple of weeks before their body readapts. This is a common quote I hear, “I tried to go off that medicine but my reflux came back with a vengeance, Doc.”

it seems the we need some sort of the bridge in order to successfully ween off this quite addictive medicine. I’m already tapering down the dose but noticed that my stomach pains actually increased. It felt in my case like a rock solid lump in the middle of my chest. I hardly knew who I was, felt depressed, and stumbled around. This is the body reducing its dependence so it is a good sign in a way. You can read the whole article here

How on earth people manage to recover from far more addictive drugs such as heroin God only knows, and what about those who stagger away from the pharmacy with a  large paper bag with 10 different types of medication. I wonder how many people in this country, the United Kingdom, are addicted. What a way to go.